The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-03-03
INTERESTING RELICS.
Discoveries Made Fifty-five Feet Below the
Surface of the Earth.

BN t6nES ItN0 nG@tSSs
Discoveries Made Fifty-five Feet Below the
Surface of the Earth.
s. A Harrison, of the firm of Harrison
and Green, railroad contractors, has in
his possession several specimens which
will be of much interest to antiquarians
and naturalists, which were obtained
under rather peculiar circumstances.
Mr.. Harrison's firm is the contractor
for the construction of the new branch
of the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
railway from Sioux City to Manila
Junction, Iowa. The road follows the
level of the Missouri river for part of
the distance. About forty miles south
| east of Sioux City, within distance
of four miles from Mapleton Station,
| and ten miles from the Missouri river
valley, the new railway line encounters
| a high hill, which is the main divide be-
tween the valleys of the Maple and Lit
| tie Sioux rivers. This divide is more
| than ten miles long, and the elevation
varies in width from half mile to a
mile and half. The railway line
crosses the hill at its lowest point. To
accomplish this it was necessary to dig
a cut sixty-four feet deep and little
over half mile in length. The earth
which it was necessary to remove in
digging the cut is, with the exception
of that on the surface, the yellowish clay
which is characteristic of that part of
Iowa. This clay is very compact, and
devoid of rock and gravel.
At depth of from thirty to thirty-five
feet, on the side of the hill sloping to-
ward the Little Sioux valley, the work
men in digging the cut discovered what
Mr.. Harrison believes to be the marks
of eleven tepee fires. A quantity of
wood ashes was found in each of the
eleven places, varying from half a
bushel to bushel and half. With
each deposit of ashes was also found a
quantity of charcoal.
Further along in the cut was found
what appeared to be the remains of an
| old structure. the nature and purpose
of which could not be determined. The
workmen engaged on the cut call it
.'the lime-kiln." Two walls of soft
limestone, about sixteen feet apart, rise
perpendicularly through the clay, and
were first noticed at depth of fifty feet
from the surface. The walls are from
eighteen inches to two fast thick, and
were removed by the workmen for a
perpendicular distance of ten feet before
the level of the railroad grade was
reached, without discovering the base
of the peculiar formation.
About fixe hundred feet from the
"lime-kiln" was found another trophy.
At a depth of fifty-five from the surface
the workmen discovered, pointing
diagonally across the course of the rail
road track, the trunk of black walnut
or ash tree, about foot in diameter.
Twelve feet of the protruding timber
was cut off, and the remainder was left
imbedded in the side of the cut When
the axes of the workmen cut into the
tree, the wood was apparently sound.
but when it had been subjected to the
action of the air, the water with which
it was soaked evaporated and the wood
gave evidence of extreme rottenness.
Mr.. Harrison secured piece about a
foot long, which he brought with him
to Milwaukee.
| Still another find wa. made in this
extraordinary railroad cut. The bones
of some large animal, in badly decayed
state, were discovered and were thrown
out on the dump-pile with no care or
thought of saving them. Mr. Harrison
obtained the skull, which in appearance
resembled that of buffalo, though
somewhat larger. He saved four of the
teeth, andIhey are now in the possession
of Henry Mann. of this city, who as a
naturalist has acme interest in discover
ing the species of the animal whose
bones were found under such peculiar
circumstances.
| The question of particula, interest
in connection with these discoveries Isl
What were the circumstances under
which the skeleton and tree, which Of
course were at one time on top of the
earth, became buried so tar beneath its
surface? Antiquarians may also try tc
| guess what race of beings built the tepet
fires, the evidence of which is thus dis
covered, and at what age the lime
stone walls were erected. The geolog
icai formation of the earth at the leve
where the finds were made is entirely
different from that of the surface, MIR
Harrison says, and there is good evi
dence that it formerly composed thu
surface of the earth. The level is abou
232 feet above the high-water mark o
the Missouri river. Milwaukee Sentinel